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Monday, June 30, 2014

Hallo meine Lieben,I hope you all had a fantastic weekend. Today is another important World Cup game and I am crossing my fingers for Germany. My wonderful friend Sara from C'est moi, Sara Louise asked me to write a guest post on her blog and of course I said yes! I feel so honored! Sara is such a fantastic friend and I read her blog for a long time and love every single post. So thanks again for asking me, Sara! It means a lot!

First of all, I can't even put into words how honored I feel and how much it means to me that the wonderful Rika from vegan miam nominated me to a part of the My writing process blog tour (which is a way to get bloggers to get to know each other and to discover new fabulous blogs). The blog tour is also a way to share some more of the background of your blog, why you write what you write and what it means to you. After being nominated by another blogger you answer the four questions below. Then it is your turn to nominate three other bloggers - bloggers you know and love and want everybody else to get to know as well. Rika said so many wonderful things about me in her post. It really really touched my heart. Rika, thank you so much! It means so much to me! You even made me tear up a bit. Rika's blog is one of my favorites....I read every single post of her and I adore everything about her....She shares the most wonderful recipes and always makes me hungry. She also inspires me to eat things that I have never eaten before. I love to read about her travels and adventures. The pictures she shares are always brilliant and make me want to travel to new places and to cook, cook, cook. She is such an inspiration...not just because she definitely is one of my vegan role models but also because she is such a smart, beautiful, caring and fantastic person. Her comments on my blog always make me smile. Plus, we have so much in common. Not just that we are both vegan...we also share the love for shoes and Scandinavian crime novels. Oh, and we both love salt & vinegar chips. And everybody who loves those is a brilliant person. You all need to follow her blog vegan miam and you can also find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram. So if you do not know her yet, go over and say hello. You will become very hungry and will get to know one of my favorite people in blogland! The questions.

1. WHAT AM I WORKING ON?

On my blog, I try to cover all the topics I am interested in. Which means: animal rights, veganism, books, my German-American life, traveling, food, movies and all the other things in life I do or like. I do feel like that I want my blog to improve. I talked about this before, I don't have enough time to work on all the things I want to. I started writing a novel a while ago and I feel like my day needs more than 24 hours to get all the stuff done. There are so many things in my life that I want to write about, things that are important to me. I have so many interests and obviously I want to pursue all of them and I want you guys to be a part of it.

2. HOW DOES MY WORK DIFFER FROM OTHERS OF ITS GENRE?

Well, all our lives are unique so I guess there are not a whole lot of Germans married to an American who are vegan, have two bunnies and two cats as pets, like to do all kinds of crafty things, are book worms and care a lot about animal rights. I love to get to know the people behind the blogs because we all have interesting stories to tell and I think that is what makes blogging so interesting for me. I have made so many wonderful friends because of my blog and I can't even tell you what that means to me.

3. WHY DO I WRITE WHAT I DO?

I am very passionate when it comes to the things I care about which is why I want to share them with others as well. For example, animals play a very important role in my life. Not just my pets but all animals in general. I want to protect them. So many terrible things are happening in the world, especially in the meat industry and so on. And I want people to be aware of these things and to consider them. Another example: I love to read. Always have and always will. I have hundreds of books and read every single day. I want to share this love with others. Because I always feel like that the things that make me happy might make others happy as well. And I am clearly happy when I can talk about Scandinavian crime novels.

4. HOW DOES YOUR WRITING PROCESS WORK?

I would not say that there is an order or a special procedure. Not at all. When I have an idea then I write it down in my notebook and then come back to it at some point. If I don't write it down immediately then I forget about it again. Which is why I always try to carry a notebook with me - let's say that does not always work. So I often have lots of lose papers in my purse or on my desk where I write things down. I get inspired by everything I read, the people around me and just the world in general. There are so many interesting things I want to write about. And when I see something interesting, then I take a picture and share it later. Sometimes that means a couple of weeks or months later. I just always make sure that I write everything down which comes into my mind...I really don't want to forget any important thought.

Martha is such a sweet person and I can't even tell you how happy I am that I have met her because of my blog (honestly, I am so thankful for all the wonderful friendships, I never thought this could be possible! So thank you to all of you for being such fantastic friends, it means so much to me!). I do not have any vegan friends in real life (can you believe that?) so I am more than thankful that I can talk to her about all things vegan. And she always makes me smile by sending me cute animal pictures. I told you, she really is a sweetheart. It is so much fun to read her blog because it is the perfect mixture of all things cruelty free, vegan recipes, fashion, stories of her life, books, cats and smart thoughts. I feel like we have so many things in common and we would make great friends in real life as well. I mean, come on, she is a vegan cat lover who reads tons of books and loves tea.

Another wonderful friend of mine. She is such a fascinating person and I admire her minimalist style and sense of fashion. Her blog is a mixture of very intelligent thoughts, fashion, books, human rights, travel stories and so much more. You can't even put it into words, you have to see it yourself. I am always so excited when she talks about the adventures of her life. She has been to so many places and has so many stories to tell. I can't say this enough: I am so thankful that I have made such a wonderful friend. I feel like we have a lot in common: she is a huge animal lover, loves to read a lot and to drink tea. I also love about her that she knows so many fascinating things about science, she is studying for a degree in Natural Science so she is the perfect source for all kinds of wisdom. I am really proud to be able to call her my friend.

My friend Lissa is one of the most creative and talented people I have ever met. On her blog she shares the stories she writes and her drawings and photography and also bits and pieces of her life in New York City. You need to check this out for yourself but her stories always touch my heart...I can't describe it but the way she writes is just absolutely brilliant, you feel with her characters. She is such an incredible talented artist and you can find her work in her store the rain girl. I am a huge fan of all the beautiful rain pictures she takes. She is not just incredible talented but also a wonderful and kind person and a really lovely friend. So if you want to feel inspired and meet a truly brilliant person, you have to check out her blog if you have not already. Thank you guys for being such wonderful friends and loyal readers, I can't even tell you what it means to me. Have a great week.

Friday, June 27, 2014

Hallo meine Lieben,The idea for this post comes from my friend Emily. She writes the most fantastic book reviews, has a great taste and is a brilliant person and friend. Here are 101 things I hate. 1. People who abuse animals.2. Onions.3. People who spit on the ground. 4. People who don't think.5. Having to wait for the release of a book.6. Animal testing. 7. White high heels.8. Arrogance.

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Hallo meine Lieben,happy Tuesday. I hope you are all doing great. You can link up with Alyssa here.

1. I am not happy with my blog right now. I do not feel like I treat it the way it deserves. The problem is: time. I want to change the design and there are so many things I want to talk about, so many things I want to share. My life has been a bit crazy lately and I did not find the time and energy to do all the things I want. I really hope that this will change soon. I want to tell you more about why I am vegan, what I eat, why I eat what I eat and why I love animals so much. I want to share some more fashion posts with you. I want to share my DIY's. You know I love to cook but I rarely share any recipes. I want to change this. I want to talk more about things that are important to me. I want to do book reviews....so many things to do. But I really really want to improve my blog. Please be patient and stick with me. What would you like to read more about?

2. I can't even put into words how much I hate poachers. Please read this saddening story. Cruel practices like that have to stop.

Monday, June 23, 2014

Hallo meine Lieben,my friend Martha posted this on her blog a while ago and I thought it would be fun to join and answer some random questions! Please feel free to join in, I would love to read your answers!

Oh, so many things. Lots of new languages, sewing, playing the piano, the drums and many other instruments, getting better at cooking and baking, computer programming, dancing, I would love to know everything, fly an airplane....

What’s the last thing you bought?

A book by Åke Edwardson. And a science magazine.

What are you listening to right now?

The birds outside my window.

What is your favorite season?

Autumn.

What is your most challenging goal right now?

To reach all my goals.

If you could swap lives with anyone for one day who would it be and why?

Theoretically....the king of the world.I would make people stop eating meat and diary and eggs. Because I am the king of the world and I can do everything.

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Hallo meine Lieben,I hope you are all doing fine. Again, I am so sorry for my lack of posts right now. I have so many things I want to tell you about but I just don't find the time right now. So please be patient with me, I will be back soon.You can link up with lovely Alyssa here.

1. Yay Germany! That game was fantastic. I am really impressed! Hope Mats Hummels won't miss the next game, we need him. Do you guys watch the World Cup? The American team won too so they are now 2nd in their group!

2. I guess during the World Cup (or European Cup) is the only time you see the German flag everywhere. In America I am used to all the flag at every corner but Germans are pretty hesitant to show any love for their country. But there are different rules during an important soccer tournament.

3. Please sign this petition to help end horrific experiments on pregnant sheep. They are injected with alcohol to simulate the effects of binge drinking. When their fetuses are near-term, the sheep are killed and the lambs are removed and killed so that their brains can be studied. Trust me, that does not help any mother or child. They are doing these experiments for more than 17 years and received more than $4 million in federal funding. And for what? To know that alcohol is bad when you are pregnant? I just can't believe the world sometimes....please help by signing and sharing!

4. I started to watch Pretty Little Liars and I never expected it to be that interesting. Can't watch too much though because I have to catch up with my other shows over the summer plus start to watch some of the shows you guys recommended. Thanks for that again!

5. On Sunday I made zucchini-pizza. Or pizza-zucchini. However you want to call it but I used zucchini instead of pizza dough. Pretty tasty.

6. I am so in love with Frostie the snow goat. His story makes me incredibly happy. It is important to see that good things happen too.

8. I ate vanilla ice cream with chocolate and caramel sauce three days in a row. I am trying to tell myself that I totally deserve this but the truth is that I just got totally excited about finding vegan dessert sauces.

9. On Sunday I made a vegan peanut butter cake with mandarin oranges. Unfortunately it tastes way too good.

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Hallo meine Lieben,it's Thursday already which means that you can link up with Lin, Em and me for another Random Thursday. This weekend we celebrate American Father's Day. I don't know about the other countries but German Father's Day was in May. I have no idea why they celebrate it on different days...Mother's Day is always the same. Here are my favorite things about the dads I met in my life....

- they always have an answer. Mostly good ones.

- they can teach you how to change the tires of your car.

- they know everything about soccer.

- they are always there for you.

- they know how much you love books and that is why you always get books as a gift.

- they have all the tools if you need to fix something.

- they always have some advice, no matter if you want to hear it or not.

- they go on your nerves sometimes but you know that you can count on them.

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

1. I really need to try some of the new recipes in my cooking books. I am so tired of all the stuff I usually cook. It is time for something new.

2. I started to watch the second season of Orange Is The New Black and I have to say that I don't don't care that much about Piper. There are so many other more interesting characters. I have only watched two episodes so far and the second one was my favorite because there was no Piper in it.

3. I was in vegan ice cream heaven. Coconut, peanut and almond. I want more.

4. Have you watched the The Fault In Our Stars movie? How is it? I am usually not a huge fan of movies based on books because they always destroy my vision of the characters etc. but I think I need to see this one. And yes, there are some good movies based on books.

5. Right now, I just want to eat cherries all day long. And ice cream.

6. One of my friends will adopt a kitten in a couple of weeks. Unfortunately one of her cats died a couple of months ago and now she wants a new companion for her lovely black cat. Can't wait to meet the new kitten.

7. I sometimes wonder how long I could read without taking a break. Reading rocks.

Sunday, June 8, 2014

Hallo meine Lieben,I hope you are all doing fine. Sorry for my lack of posts at the moment but I am sure I will be back at some point soon. 1. Famous art with the little extra feline touch. Read more about it here.

2. I recently found out that my birthday is also the International Day Of Rock. I like it. Guess there is a day for everything.

3. I love the idea of the Book Buddies Program. Little kids practice their reading skills and get to spend some time with shelter cats. And the cats get some extra attention. So everybody is happy.

4. I thought that Åke Edwardson would have stopped writing his Erik Winter novels but this week I discovered that there is actually a new novel. I think the last one was published in 2008. I guess you can imagine how excited I got. I am sure the bookstore people thought I was crazy. Yay for more Scandinavian crime. You can find his books here.

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Hallo meine Lieben,I hope you are all enjoying your week and doing great. I do like to watch TV shows so this week Lin, Em and I want to talk about the TV show line-up.

I have to admit that I did not put much effort into the summer TV line-up yet. I have no ideas what shows will run during the summer. So I need to figure this out at some point. The problem is that I never have enough time to watch all the shows I would like to. I still have so many shows I need to catch up with. If you have any recommendations though, please let me know.

There are two shows I want to check out. Orange is the new Black is one of them. I absolutely loved the first season. And I enjoy anything crime/prison themed. So this really is a show I will keep watching. I don't really like the main character and her boyfriend but the other characters are very entertaining. Can't wait to see what will happen next.

Another show I want to keep watching is True Blood. Not because it is the greatest show on earth but because it is very entertaining, I can relax while I watch it and it is just pure enjoyment. My guilty pleasure if you want to call it like that.

Speaking of movies: I am not a fan of movies based on books but I need to see "The Fault in our Stars".

There are also so many books I want to read over the summer. Today I discovered that there is a new Erik Winter novel by Åke Edwardson. Score!

4. June is "Adopt a cat month". You can find more about it here. I am tempted to adopt another cat and call him/her Bretzel. 5. Please sign the petition to end the horrible Dog Meat Festival in Yulin, China. Find out more about it here.6. Which are the most comfortable running shoes you have? I am searching for some really comfy ones which also look great. I would prefer either black or really colorful ones. 7. I have never been a huge popcorn fan but I changed my mind when I tried this.

8. If you are searching for a new house, you can buy Jeffrey Dahmer's childhood home. I would not mind a house where somebody committed a murder but I am sure it would be annoying when random people show up all the time to see a famous murder house.

9. My bunnies both turned 5 last month. I am so thankful to have them in my life.